PC cards are usually constructed in accordance with standards of PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association) which specifies a card width of 54 mm and a card maximum thickness of 5 mm for the most popular type which is a Type II (Type I has a maximum thickness of 3.3 mm while Type III has a maximum thickness of 10.5 mm). It is noted that the standards can change somewhat. Such a card is designed to be inserted into a slot of an electronic device where a card front connector mates with a connector of the electronic device. It is sometimes useful to provide a PC card that serves as an adapter for a much smaller card such as a SIM card which has a width about one-third that of the PC card (a width of about 18 mm, length of about 28 mm, and thickness of 0.8 mm). Such small cards, which can be referred to as chip cards, are commonly used as credit or authorization cards, as to authorize mobile telephone use. The much smaller and rugged chip cards are of widespread use, and an adapter that enables them to be read and written into by an electronic device such as a laptop computer that can only receive a PC card. A PC card which could receive a much smaller chip card, where the PC card was of simple and rugged design, would be of value.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a PC card is provided which is adapted to receive a chip card of much smaller width, thickness, and length than the PC card, and which is of simple construction. Contacts that are terminated to traces on a circuit board that lies within a sheet cover of the PC card, have pad-engaging ends. A planar top portion of the sheet metal cover, is formed with a ramp, and with an aperture at the bottom of the ramp, to guide a card that is inserted along the ramp and through the aperture into a space adjacent to the contacts to engage the contacts.
The ramp is preferably formed by deep drawing of the planar sheet metal to form largely vertical sides at opposite sides of the ramp. Guides at opposite sides of the internal path portion that the card moves along after passing through the aperture, can be formed by tabs punched into the cover sheet metal, separate parts or electronic components mounted on the circuit board, or separate parts mounted to the underside of the sheet metal. A stop limits the length of insertion of the chip card beyond the aperture, so that a portion of the chip card lies on the ramp. The chip card portion on the ramp can be removed by friction applied to it by a finger to slide it up the ramp.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.